The Role of Aerobic Phosphorylation in the Pasteur Effect.

Present statistics, resting on far too slight a basis, indicate the risk to life and limb in California to be small-ridiculously small, less than the risk from common trivial diseases. But this is not a true picture. It is due to the past occurrence of the small number -of greater shocks at fortunate times of day. Had the Long Beach earthquake, or that at Santa Barbara, for example, to say nothing of the San Francisco shock, occurred at unfavorable hours the statistical story would be a very different one. Energetic shocks will not always continue to occur at most favorable times of day. Some time one will happen when people are in the streets, or in theaters, churches, schools, etc. Once again the answer is the same. If all buildings are well built the risk will be small. Even panic will be reduced. If bad or unsuitable construction is general disaster or catastrophe will result. The moral isdesign and build well on good ground, and in case of doubt insure. There is no other way to security. To conclude-necessarily the greater part of this article deals with the risk that there is, its geographic spread over the region, and what can be done to lessen it. It is very desirable to fix the attention of residents upon the actual situation and to persuade them to courses of procedure which will ensure greater and greater safety. On the other hand, as stated in the beginning, the risk from earthquake occurrence in the California region, though more general and widespread than most residents realize, is nevertheless much smaller than most non-residents and some local people commonly think-far less than the risk in many other parts of the country from hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and other natural causes of disaster. In justice to California and neighboring territory emphasis must be placed upon these facts. It would be unfair to the region if efforts to secure in it safe building and constructional procedure should be construed as a warning of danger of great magnitude constantly impending at all places. While no one can foretell the future of earthquake occurrence in any practical way, the historical record since its beginning in 1769 gives no warrant for such alarm or serious apprehension. All that is warranted is recognition that earthquakes will continue to occur in the future as they have occurred in the past and that safety from the shaking requires good judgment in the selection of sites and the adoption of suitable resistant methods of construction.